David Hughes is the Daily Telegraph's chief leader writer. He has been covering British politics for 30 years.

Calm down Cameron, it's time to rise above the heckling

David Cameron's Easter break appears to have done him a power of good. He was on punchy form at PMQs today, albeit against a below par Ed Miliband. The Labour leader went first on the new growth figures, bemoaning the lacklustre nature of the recovery. The PM hit back with a couple of reasonably effective lines – first, that Miliband was being opportunistic and talking down the economy; second, that during Miliband's time in the Labour Cabinet, growth never once hit 0.5 per cent (this morning's first quarter figure) in ANY quarter. That's a slightly specious argument, given that the economy is exactly where it was last autumn; all the latest figure does is make good the 0.5 per cent fall in the final quarter of last year. Specious or not, it rather deflated young Ed.

On Miliband's second bite of the cherry, the NHS reforms, Cameron was on rather more solid ground. He was able to flourish a glowing encomium to the reforms penned by Dr Howard Stoate who was, until the last election, the Labour MP for Dartford. Poor Ed looked a little crestfallen.

At this point the PM told a loudly heckling Angela Eagle to "calm down, dear" , at a stroke alienating every woman in the Chamber, regardless of party allegiance. Cameron needs to work on this. He really doesn't like being heckled – who does? – yet he makes the mistake of showing that he doesn't like it. The best dispatch box perfomers rise above the catcalls.